Riviera Pebbles Blog: Riviera’s top 5 off-season tours

Posted on 22nd Nov 2014 in Go & Do

Explore the Riviera winter sunshine with these five top tours

Winter on the Côte d’Azur is a delight. The summertime crowds have disappeared. Days are crisp yet sunny. For plenty of visitors, there’s little better than snagging a sheltered table in one of the cours Saleya’s pavement cafés and sipping a chilled glass of rosé.

While we definitely agree, this sun-kissed strip of coastline offers lots of organised activities that promise a different way of getting to know the Riviera too. From organic wine tasting to touring Nice aboard an eco-friendly trike, here are our favourites.

1) Cooler weather is ideal for exploring the Riviera by bike. Nice Cycle Tours offers three hours of guided pedalling around Nice’s Old Town, daily market and panoramic Colline du Château (€30 per person, suitable for all levels).

2) Seeking something a little different? The same outfit has just inaugurated their new Tour de France of Organic Wine. This introduction to wine tasting lasts two hours, during which you’ll sample five top-notch French wines and one Champagne (€40 per person).

3) Squeeze yourself and a couple of friends into an iconic, chauffeur-driven Citroën 2CV for a spin around Nice. 2CV Escapade offers a variety of guided tours along the Riviera, from a 15-minute zip through Nice or Cannes (from €9 per person) to a three-hour cruise around Monaco (from €84 per person).

4) For the inside track on local eats, join The French Way for a food tour through Nice. This three-hour gourmet extravaganza takes in ten to 12 Niçois treats en route, as well as stops for one wine tasting and one olive oil tasting (€65 per person).

5) Hop aboard one of Nice’s Cyclopolitain Cyclotaxis for an eco-friendly whizz around the city. Similar in appearance to a rickshaw, these chauffeured three-wheelers tour places motorised vehicles just can't reach, from Nice's new Coulée Verte to the daily flower market (from €50/hour for two passengers).